Page 52 of His Vengeful Tradwife

He looked around in disgust at our comfortably messy living room. "If, of course, there is a clean space. I forgot you hadchildren. Ew. I don't want to sit in applesauce."

Mom's ruby-red lips stretched over those big teeth.

"I have been hearing such nonsensical rumors about you that I had to determine for myself if they were true or not."

"Rumors like what?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Going on a cruise ship?" my mother asked, in the same tone you might say 'ate a worm.'

"And with yourfather?" she added, stroking the arms of her tight-fitting white gown. "I know you're related, but darling, he's terribly tacky."

"I can't see any applesauce, but I am still afraid to sit down," Lord Winterborne burbled from the other room, but I ignored him.

"Keep Dad out of this," I shot at her. "I won't allow you to insult him in front of me. Yes, I went on a cruise with Dad, Becky, and my in-laws. The rumors are true. You can go home and back to bathing in the blood of virgins now."

"Your in-laws?" Mom huffed jealously. "They won't returnmycalls but they're going on vacations with your father?"

"Yes," I said, taking her arm and trying to propel her to the front door. "And they even like him. Much better than they like you. Now please take your little friend in there and leave now."

"That's not all," she protested. "I even heard rumors you were thinking ofleaving Maverick."

"Yes," I said, "I have been debating whether or not to stay with him."

Her jaw dropped. "Maverick? He's the best thing to ever happen to you, foolish girl. You'd benothingwithout him."

Suddenly, my husband appeared in the doorway to the living room, two steaming cups of hot tea in his hands. "That's not true," he said harshly, a frown on his handsome face. "Tallulah doesn't need me. I'mbeggingher to keep me. But she doesn'tneedme. She is a big success without me."

"Begging?" my mom cried, recoiling in horror.

"He cheated," I said. "He had a wholemistress.He said he wanted a divorce."

I felt bitter gall rise in my throat. Would it always feel like this? There was bitterness inside me that needed to come out.

Mom waved her hand around impatiently, the gold and diamond bracelets on her wrist clinking together.

"Tallulah," she sniffed impatiently. "You have to make allowances for a man who looks like he does. He could cheat on you with a hundred different women, so you may call me old-fashioned, dear, but I think having only one mistress is rather restrained."

"Indeed," Lord Winterborne said from the living room, finally sitting down on the very edge of our sofa and looking with loathing at a stuffed duck.

"I didn't meanyou," she shot at him.

"So you think there should be some kind of 'I'm handsome' exception to cheating?" I said irritably.

"Youmust have done something," she insisted. "Perhaps you didn't lose the baby weight fast enough. Perhaps you didn't pay him enough attention."

I felt the retort flash hot on my cheeks, but then Maverick was stalking into the room and hauling Lord Winterborne up by the collar.

"Get out, both of you. I'm not going to let you say those things about Tallulah. She was not to blame at all. And her body has always been fuckingperfect."

He kicked the door open impatiently as Lord Winterborne began to wail and flail ineffectively about.

"Maverick,Maverick, I'm trying to defend you against Tallulah's ridiculous hysterics!" Mom cried.

And even though my mother had been literally the only person who had sympathized with him or taken his side since the affair became public, my husband shook his head definitively.

"No. It was my mistake and on my head alone. Feeling neglected or whatever bullshit I tried to justify it with was not an excuse for what I did."

She squawked unhappily.

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